MOD EDIT: New users should be aware that their FIRST POST WILL NOT APPEAR until approved by a Mod, a Pink Fluffy Handcuffs, Super-Mod or Admin. This is not a way to judge people, it is a way of catching spambots before their posts can be seen. As long as you are human your post WILL be approved. After first post approval you will be able to post unrestricted.
Also know that you cannot view the Shout Box (chat window) until after you've reached 10 posts. Afterwards you will have access to the window and be able to continuously chat with all members of the forum. There is also a post per day limit of 80. If you reach this limit just wait a little while and it should let you post before a whole day has gone by.

It occured to me that lots of people don't really understand a whole lot of posts when they first join a forum. Not just this one but any forum. So I figured we could all chip in and make a laundry list of things to be aware of.

I'm not sure what format to do this in so I'll just go at it random.

Abreviations

OP - Original post/ertl,dr - Too long, didn't read.LULZ - Word used to describe doing something for fun. For example, looking at memes provides the LULZ. Some people troll for LULZ.srs - Serious. It's most common use is when you make a post where people might be unsure if you are serious or not. Usually you would finish your sentence and type 'srs' immediately after or you can finish an entire post and skip a few lines (for effect) and then type 'srs'. You can even put 'srs', then skip a bunch of lines and follow up with a 'not srs'. 'semi srs' can also be used.

Context and demeanor
It's important to remember that not every post you read is being screamed at you. Try and word them differently or make use of italics and smileys to place a tone on your text. Often times a reader can misinterpret what you say because it's not always clear what tone or context you are taking.

Meme (pronounced meem)
A meme is usually a picture with a message or text writen on or around it. Usually it has a humorous contradiction like in the example below. It can be used in conjuction with a post or just by itself and is only advisable if it's the proper time to use the meme. Throwing up random ones that don't make sense won't work. You can't force a meme, only execute when the time is right. For example, if someone appears irate in a post and you find it humorous you can post a "Y U mad tho" meme in response instead of actually addressing their post. If done properly most memes will at least get a smile out of future readers.

Gif
A gif (example.gif) is a short clip of video used as a reply or sometimes just to be funny. They are usually ten seconds or less and repeat over and over again non stop. And example of using one might be if you find a post that is like 10 miles long you could post a gif of a fat kid dancing that pops up with a message like "Didn't read". Gifs can often be used in place of memes or vice versa. Posting a gif is the same as posting a picture. It uses simple IMG tags. Also remember that gifs are always found in the 'image' section of a search engine. They are not videos.

Embeding videos
Embeding a video means to place that video directly into the forum post so it can be viewed without opening a new window or browser. The source of the video changes how to embed it but the most common is YouTube. The reply or edit menus offer a tab that automatically places the video 'tags' ( [youtube ] URL [/youtube ]) on the page for you. You can also type them yourself if you prefer. Tags are used for many different things and will probably just take some figuring out for you to be swift in making use of them.

Reputation
Reputation or 'rep' varies from forum to forum. Some have none at all and some are heavily dependent on it to guage the quality of the poster. In many forums reps are like a contest and often begged for like it actually matters. This forum is unique among others I visit because it has a 'like' feature as well as a rep feature. At the top right of your post you'll see a Reputation line with a number. If you are in the positive it will appear green and negative is red. Negative reputation are often called negs. If you find a post funny or inciteful you can click the 'like' button. It will update the number of likes recieved at the bottom left of the post and add another like to that person's total. It also counts the likes you give. If you find a poster has an overall good quality that translates to every or nearly every post then you can rep them. Do this by clicking their username and going to their profile page. There will be a hyperlink next to their rep number that says 'rate'. You can rep or neg from this screen. On this forum you can also change a rep to a neg or vice versa if you feel the person you repped is no longer deserving.

Troll
A troll is a person who posts with the intention of starting an argument or irritating people for what they call, the LULZ. They come in many different forms. Some troll by secretly playing devil's advocate. Some go through the trouble of creating entire user accounts specifically for the purposes of trolling. It can be acceptable from reputable members in small doses but can be quite annoying if overly done. Often times the right meme or gif can be used to combat or bring awareness to a troll. Search for 'troll meme' to find any number of useful ones.

This image is a troll face. It's used as a meme to announce that you think someone is trolling. It can also be used at the end of a post to indicate that you are trolling.

Spoon Pics
Every so often you will run across a user who doesn't, for any number of reasons, appear to be who they say they are. A perfect example is when someone puts up a picture of themself and is, to put it bluntly, too good looking for the internet. Much less the particluar forum you are on. No offense to the sexy bitches here. It is customary in some forums to demand what is called a spoon pic. Taking a picture with any random object on the spot is usually a good indicator that the person is who they say they are. Normally this is done is done just to be funny but can also be considered mildly flattering or perhaps even a little bit creepy (in the stalker sense). Usually it is not done to insult or mean any harm but often done to bring attention to a certain poster or to catch frauds. The person in this example is named Angie Verona. She is a teenage girl from the US who grabbed the attention of many of the bodybuilding.com members by uploading very revealing photos of herself. A person by the same name joined bb.com after discoving all the attention she was getting. In order for them to verify that she was who she claimed they demanded spoon pics. She reluctantly provided them mostly because she was disgusted by some of the comments about her but nonetheless, the misc got their proof.

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect.”

Great idea! Here are some more tips. Click on the picture to see it better.Working with quotes:

It's easier to work with quotes using the Source tab, especially if you are going to be splitting apart a large post to respond. If you're just going to quickly reply, the Editor tab is fine- but make sure to post your message underneath or on top of the quote boxes, not inside them.

On the Source tab, be sure to close any open tags, otherwise it will mess up your post! And preview your post before final posting so you know you have it right.

Source Tab
Quote tags look like this:

Code:

Open: [quote]
Close: [/quote]

A quoted message looks like this:

Code:

[quote]This is a quoted message[/quote]

You can set who or what you're attributing the quote to like this:

Code:

[quote=kingschosen]I am actually an atheist posing as a Christian[/quote]

(26-04-2012 05:32 PM)Luminon Wrote: One useful tip for noobs would be to tell us

How do I find new replies in threads I have posted in?

At the top right of your screen under the site title banner is a View New Posts link. It'll take you to every thread that has recently been posted in. View Today's Posts will show you every thread that has been posted in on that day. In your user CP you also have a list of threads you've started that will appear in bold if it has a new post.

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect.”

I'll add that we have a Forum Team that consists of Veterans, Mods, Super-Mods, and our Admin.

We all joined up as regular members and the vast majority of our interactions on here are as regular members, not as staff. To avoid confusion we will post in the colour of our name if we want to speak as staff, if we don't post in colour then we are not posting as staff.

Best and worst of Ferdinand .....BestFerdinand: We don't really say 'theist' in Alabama. Here, you're either a Christian, or you're from Afghanistan and we fucking hate you.WorstFerdinand: Everyone from British is so, like, fucking retarded.

(26-04-2012 06:25 PM)germanyt Wrote: At the top right of your screen under the site title banner is a View New Posts link. It'll take you to every thread that has recently been posted in. View Today's Posts will show you every thread that has been posted in on that day. In your user CP you also have a list of threads you've started that will appear in bold if it has a new post.

Yes, that's what I mean. This forum does not have an immensely useful button. A button that makes a list of all threads a given user had ever created or replied to, first being these with new replies. If I want to see if anyone replied there, I must remember the name of a thread and search for it manually one by one. I think it must be surprising for new users to come to such a well-made forum with this feature missing.

(26-04-2012 06:25 PM)germanyt Wrote: At the top right of your screen under the site title banner is a View New Posts link. It'll take you to every thread that has recently been posted in. View Today's Posts will show you every thread that has been posted in on that day. In your user CP you also have a list of threads you've started that will appear in bold if it has a new post.

Yes, that's what I mean. This forum does not have an immensely useful button. A button that makes a list of all threads a given user had ever created or replied to, first being these with new replies. If I want to see if anyone replied there, I must remember the name of a thread and search for it manually one by one. I think it must be surprising for new users to come to such a well-made forum with this feature missing.

You can subscribe to a thread. You'll get a message if anyone posts in that thread and can even set up email alerts so you will know each and every time someone posts in a thread of interest.

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect.”

(26-04-2012 11:55 PM)Luminon Wrote: Yes, that's what I mean. This forum does not have an immensely useful button. A button that makes a list of all threads a given user had ever created or replied to, first being these with new replies. If I want to see if anyone replied there, I must remember the name of a thread and search for it manually one by one. I think it must be surprising for new users to come to such a well-made forum with this feature missing.

You can subscribe to a thread. You'll get a message if anyone posts in that thread and can even set up email alerts so you will know each and every time someone posts in a thread of interest.

Also, in the same user CP there is a list of subscribed threads, which you can go through to see if there are new replies. This is probably closest to what you're looking for, Luminon.

I had to turn off my email notifications to subscribed threads just from the sheer amount of spam it resulted in.

(27-04-2012 07:16 AM)germanyt Wrote: You can subscribe to a thread. You'll get a message if anyone posts in that thread and can even set up email alerts so you will know each and every time someone posts in a thread of interest.

I see. Nevermind me, I am just used to this feature from two other forums and it's awesome. To instantly see all replies to your posts without having to subscribe to them or having your inbox clogged with notices. I use this function more often than searching for all new posts.